Scary 4 Digits vote review

Posted by Rolf_Soldaat on Nov. 1, 2011, 9:17 a.m.

In this blog entry I will be reviewing some of the games submitted to the Scary 4 Digits competition.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish my own game due to being a lazy fuck.

Though I have played all of the entries, with the exception of two that required me to install crap (sorry), I will only be reviewing the ones I voted for plus some honorable mentions.

So here we go (in ascending order).

4th vote:

Hell Awaits, by Rob

While frustrating at first, with somewhat unfair combat, I feel that this game really redeems itself in the later levels. The lighting effects are nifty and add a lot to the atmosphere.

3rd vote:

Darling Springs, by Rez

With its gorgeous backgrounds, stylish sprites and a thrilling reloading mechanism, this game appeared to be an instant winner. However, a large amount of small annoyances caused me to drop it down to 3rd place. The pop-out enemies are kinda cheap, and the frustrating platforming element felt really out of place.

2nd vote:

The Field and the Tower, by Cesque and sirXemic

Simple, short and surprisingly fun, this game has some real style.

The action is well paced and the low-poly graphics look great. I have only two complaints: First, The first section could do with a little more variety,

Second, I really wish the game was longer.

1st vote:

The Last Halloween, by Death

The atmosphere in this game is spot on. The charming low-rez graphics make it look and feel like a classic adventure game. Though simple, the combat is well balanced. My only real issue is that the comtrols are a little clunky, especially concerning the ramps.

Honarable mentions:

Little Witch Sayuri-chan, by Purianite, Kilin and RoffleWafl

and

Saga of the Ugly 2, by Orange08 and Bret Hudson

Both these games were fun and well polished. However, I feel that the Halloween/Horror theme is a bit absent.

Operator, by zac1780

This game deserves a mention for actually creeping me out. My problem with this game is that I don't actually find it fun to play, which is something I consider essential to any game, regardless of genre.

Comments

Rez 13 years ago

Meh. I feel like I really nerfed everything in my game, and the pop up enemies (with the exception of one) always gave you enough time to react. I don't see how the platforming could be hard at all but that's just me.

Rolf_Soldaat 13 years ago

Well there was this one jump after you went down the well. You had to walk back every time you failed. Also double jumping seemed a bit wierd.

I think the first pop-out enemy (the fat guy) is cheap because you can already see him but you can't shoot him till he pops out.

Cesque 13 years ago

Quote:
First, The first section could do with a little more variety,

Wow. It's almost as if you knew I originally wanted to include stuff like a burning field section (where fires wouldn't slow you down, but damage your health) but couldn't find the time ;)

Quote:
I think the first pop-out enemy (the fat guy) is cheap because you can already see him but you can't shoot him till he pops out.

Heh, I actually liked that. It's as if the game was saying its 2d world has different rules and you gotta play by them.

The school enemy was a bit too much of a cheap scare, though, and a bit annoying after a while (but maybe that's because I had to go through the section several times before I learned the controls).

I also found it funny that the enemies in the well followed you up the stairs if you didn't manage to run away fast enough without killing them. TOTALLY UNEXPECTED.

death 13 years ago

wow my game got first on your list? *insert happy face*

i didn't have that much of an issue with Rez's game. it's hard but not too hard once you get comfortable with the controls. i think what could have made Rez's game a little easier is just speed up the character a little and perhaps lay out heal packs around the game.

i enjoyed the enemies that popped out and i think there's only a few. it's a common thing in survival horror and if well placed can be entertaining. i'll finish the game soon =P

Rez 13 years ago

I made exactly the game I wanted to. My logic behind not being able to shoot the fat x before he attacks is this: he is the silhouette of a man and one of the first people you encounter, why would the player character just shoot someone in the back of the head like that? Also, it seems cheap to kill an enemy like that. xD

While typing this comment, I got a brilliant idea for another game. Maybe next time I will let you shoot the shadow of a man in the back of the head, Rolf. Only this time, he'll be a regular non-lethal human. D:

WHAT A TWIST.

Cesque 13 years ago

I think you're overreacting a bit, Rez. You gotta deal with the fact that art is subjective, including / and so are (pick one depending on your definition of art) video games.

Rez 13 years ago

No, I understand that. I'm just merely explaining my reasoning behind it. Rolf's complaint is a perfectly valid one.

Rolf_Soldaat 13 years ago

I have a couple of other suggestions but they're gonna sound really nitpicky.